They faced considerably less resistance trying to leave Palaven and go back to the Citadel. The space port security was more than willing to ship a human off their planet and rushed them through security, which might've irritated Shepard if she wasn't itching to get off the hot planet and back to the climate controlled Citadel. C-SEC hadn't even batted an eye when they arrived back, and they were pushed through faster than the average citizen, most likely due to Garrus' position in C-SEC.

Yet...even with the speed with which they returned back to their apartment, Garrus was in a foul mood. Which was just him sulking about the apartment. Walking about the room, picking up objects and then placing them down. Trying to find something to do, it would be much harder for him to resist the urge to return to work now that he was on the Citadel, and when Shepard woke up the next morning she found a note telling her that he went out for a walk.

Sitting on the edge of their shared bed, she knew there was nothing she could do to help him. If she told him to go back to work, he would overwork himself to shed away the pain of losing his mother. Yet, if she kept him cooped up, he would quickly get stir crazy.

She needed something to distract him, something that wouldn't cover up his grieving process, but at the same time not be too small that it wouldn't help him at all. Going for a walk was...good, but she knew he was thinking over all of the problems in his life. Work, his mother, Udina, their marriage. Everything swirling around his blue head. A movie was also out of the question, she doubted he would be focused enough to watch one. Besides, she didn't even know how to breach the subject of a 'date' anyways.

Stalking downstairs to the computer, she sat heavily onto the chair and opened up her email.

Maybe we could go to the shooting range? No. His mind isn't in the best place to be holding a gun.

She sent off an email to Chakwas, and started to read a message regarding new recruits to N7, and whether she would like to be in charge of training them in the following year. She sent off a reply telling them that it was a huge honour, but she would have to postpone the answer until she was back in duty. Successfully putting off answering until later, she didn't want to think about that at the moment. She did save it for later, just in case.

Maybe we could...go to a club? Ha. I couldn't imagine Garrus in a club.

She opened an email from Anderson. He explained that he was going away again, official Alliance business, blah, blah, blah; he'd be back in time for Christmas.

Christmas...

She opened up the Earth calendar, checking the date. It was December 4th. Which meant in 21 Earth days, and 25 Citadel days, it would be Christmas.

Checking her watch she quickly calculated the time conversion between the Flotilla and the Citadel. It was still too early for them, if she was correct. She was still having a hard time translating the different time zones, as they weren't based on the International Date Line, and were extremely varied depending on where you were in space. Though, she wasn't in the mood for having an existential crisis, so she stopped thinking of it and sprung into action.

She knew exactly how to distract Garrus. Introduce him into the one thing he thought was confusing and interesting, human culture.

It took every ounce of her ability to gather everything she could think of and start to prepare. Tali was more than willing to help once Shepard contacted her, and began to walk Shepard through making cookies that a turian could eat. Nothing could be harder, she couldn't eat the cookies to see how they tasted or she'd get food poisoning and where would that leave her? Throwing up into the toilet and ruining her surprise.

She put a tray into the oven, and Tali excused herself for a moment to go and check on something.

Shepard stretched her arms above her head and glanced at the kitchen. It didn't look like a baker had just prepared a magnificent cake or anything; more like a bull was let loose in a china shop. Cups, spoons, measuring implements, bowls, ingredients, and waxing paper were scattered all over the counter. The smell of the human cookies she had made while waiting for Tali to give her a call starting to mix in with the more cinnamon scented cookies that was currently baking.

It honestly surprised her as she looked at the decorating in the living room; she had spent hours making sure everything looked perfect. All for a man she hadn't worked up the nerve to admit her feelings to. Hell, she hadn't even done this sort of thing for Kaidan. No surprise holiday plans, and she certainly never baked him anything. Most of their relationship had been forged in the fires of war, and now part of her was surprised as to how she had ever thought that the two of them would've worked out. For months on end they wouldn't speak during the war due to their hectic lives.

Yet...Garrus. Garrus was...different. Everything was new with him, and she felt like they were a team, and that she could rely on him to stand by her side in the face of anything. She could see herself stepping aside to let him call the shots every once in awhile. Kaidan? She never could see herself letting him take control.

It had been so close. If she had never met Garrus, she would be in a relationship with Kaidan, someone she truly didn't see eye to eye with on situations. A man who honestly put way too much faith in the Alliance, even after seeing all the different species in the world.

"Shepard?" Tali's voice called out, startling her from her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You've been staring off into space," the quarian explained, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shepard waved a hand, raising her omnitool so she could properly look at Tali's hologram, "Just thinking. Do you think this will help? Honestly?"

Tali hummed, and drummed her fingers on the desk, the hologram shifted slightly at the vibrations. "I think that it has a fifty percent chance of working."

And with it? A fifty percent chance of failure. Great.

The two talked a bit more about cookies, before Tali said she had to go. The apartment went silent after Shepard turned off her omnitool and walked into the living room. She turned on the music and began digging through one of the boxes by the couch. Humming along to the old music, she didn't hear the door opening behind her.

"Uh...Shepard, what's...what's all this?" Garrus asked, clearing his throat.

Spinning around, the butterflies in her stomach intensified. Suddenly nervous that this was all a stupid idea, which she knew it was in the first place. He wasn't going to get distracted by a few decorations. It was Garrus. He was pretty logical.

"It's Christmas," she blurted out, forgetting what she had planned to say. "A holiday some human's celebrate on Earth."

Garrus tapped his fingers on his thighs and glanced about. Taking everything in. Each time his eyes moved onto the next item she felt herself growing more and more agitated. Finally, his eyes rested on the bare tree. "What is it?"

"The tree?"

Garrus chuckled, "The holiday," he turned his eyes back to her. "I know what a tree is."

"It was a religious holiday, but last century there was a lot of people who weren't religious celebrating. It's a gift exchanging holiday, where you spend time with people you care about and...eat food and..." she trailed off, "It's dumb."

"There's a holiday like that on Palaven," he said, reaching towards the tree and tugging gently on one of the branches. Some of the plastic needles pulled away. "Everyone gets together and they throw a big feast in honor of the spirits, each other, and Palaven. It's a huge thing...Mom use to bake all day before so we'd have plenty of snacks to munch on during the day. We'd get so full," he laughed, his eyes softening at the memories. He wasn't sad, and he didn't immediately stop talking and excuse himself, and that gave her hope that her plan had worked.

The alarm for the oven went off and Shepard jumped, she had nearly forgotten about them. Garrus looked over at the kitchen and she swore if he didn't have plates covering his face, the blood would've drained from his face. Then an amused look flashed over his face, "Did an angry swarm of pyjacks attack only our kitchen?"

She swatted his arm and headed over, "No, for your information. I baked cookies."

Garrus followed silently after her, and watched as she removed the cookies from the oven. She placed them down and he looked at them suspiciously, "I'm going to assume those aren't for you, and I should be scared that you are trying to get me back for poisoning you that one time."

"Smart ass."

He smiled and snatched one of the cookies. Shepard waited on baited breathe as he sniffed the cookie before taking a hesitant nibble from it. After a long tense moment he nodded his head. "It's not the best, but it's good."

"Thank god," she released a breath, "If you fell over dead, I'd be screwed."

"So, in this Chreshmis?"

"Christmas."

"Thank you. In this Christmas, you decorate the house, give gifts, hang with people you care about, and make cookies?"

Shepard nodded, "It's about appreciating those around you and giving them things to show them you appreciate them...or something like that. I only really celebrated Christmas a handful of times. But the best part isn't finished yet."

"Oh?"

She grabbed his hand and led him back into the living room. "We've got to dress the tree."

"Why?"

"Another thing that was lost to time," Shepard shrugged a shoulder, "But it's a tradition."

Garrus stared at her intensely, "Are you making this all up?"

That earned him a glare, "No. Go ask Chakwas or Anderson. Hell, call up Kaidan."

"What dress are we putting on the tree? None of yours will fit."

Shepard stared at him for a long time. This...this was what she had grown attracted to. She tried to fight a grin, but it broke through. "No, no, no...I mean decorate it. Let's just..." she picked up the box and handed it to him. "Just hand these on the tree."

"Alright...but I don't understand how this relates to dresses."

She couldn't help laughing, and began showing him how to hang the ornaments on the tree. It took a while; Garrus was clumsy with the orbs and dropped more than a few. They had a collection of glass and dust pushed aside by the time they were finished. Shepard leaned against the back of the couch and stared at the fake tree, glittering with the lights and looking spectacular.

Garrus was in silent awe beside her.

"Are there any more traditions in this holiday?"

Shepard was silent; she walked over to the piano and picked up a small plastic plant. Should she?

Yes.

Walking over she handed him the plant. He inspected it. "It's supposed to be hung up, but I was lazy, and you're tall. So, you can hang it up for me."

"I'm average height for a turian," he retorted, but walked over to the entrance of the kitchen, "How is this suppose to be hung up?"

"The guy in the shop said that one will just attach itself," Shepard replied, waiting until he reached up to press it against the opening before grasping his collar and pulling him down.

She pressed her lips to his mouth plates. Her eyes closed, not wanting to see his reaction.

After a moment she pulled away and slowly opened her eyes. Garrus hadn't moved yet, just stared at her. He lowered the mistletoe and straightened. She felt the blush working its way to intense levels, and went to blurt out an apology when he leaned back down and made a clumsy attempt to kiss her back. Her embarrassment flooded out of her, and she smiled pressing her lips to his once again.

"Shepard...I..." he whispered, before clearing his throat and trying again. Before he could she shook her head.

"I like you...and I want to...try. We're stuck together for a while anyways, so there isn't any harm in trying, us," she admitted, staring up at him, "Also, you have to kiss someone under the mistletoe. Another tradition," she added, knowing he was going to ask her about it anyways. Garrus blinked, staring down at her, and then his face erupted into a grin, and he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

"I think I could get use to that tradition," he grinned down at her, "Besides, you still have to celebrate my holiday."

"It's a deal."

The thought of Udina and all the shit that had been happening in their lives faded into the background as Garrus finished attaching the mistletoe to the ceiling. The kitchen was still a mess, they hadn't eaten anything other than sweets for dinner, but still they sat on the couch and stared at the fire, and for the first time they just talked. Nothing left in the dark, there wasn't any secrets they had to keep from each other. They could just be together, no imminent danger hanging over their heads, no worries about what will happen in the future. They had each other, and in that moment they felt like they could take on worlds together.

Shepard could get used to Christmas.